VANCOUVER — For a television shoot a couple of years ago at his Muskoka cottage, which is a cottage the same way the White House is a house, Derek Roy skeet-shot a Frisbee out of mid-air using a puck and hockey stick.

The skilful centre also flung the puck as high as a juiced Mark McGwire pop fly before catching it cleanly on his blade, and accurately saucered pucks to various land- and water-based targets around his summer playground north of Toronto.

You couldn’t help but be impressed by Roy’s hands and post-and-beam home, even if the see-through shower and steam room in the middle of his bedroom seems a little weird. Unless you’re Hugh Hefner.

Vancouver Canuck coach Alain Vigneault hasn’t seen the video and now he doesn’t need to.

Three games since the National Hockey League team bulked up for the playoffs by acquiring the 5-8 veteran from the Dallas Stars, Vigneault is convinced of Roy’s skill.

“I knew he was a highly skilled player,” Vigneault said Tuesday before the Canucks travelled to Calgary for Wednesday’s game against the extinguished Flames. “But once you have him in front of you on a regular basis, you can appreciate the hands and the way he can see the ice, the way he can ... get open and find teammates that are open.

“I think it’s a real good and unique opportunity for him, and so far he’s done everything that we’ve expected.”

The opportunity is ideal for the Canucks, who haven’t been this strong at centre since Manny Malhotra suffered his terrible eye injury more than two years ago.

But it doesn’t necessarily seem ideal for Roy, a 29-year-old who will be trying to cash in as an unrestricted free agent in July but in Vancouver is playing behind Henrik Sedin and Ryan Kesler. Former Canuck Cody Hodgson, for one, couldn’t abide these circumstances and demanded a trade last season.

“I knew that coming into the trade,” Roy said of the depth chart. “I knew that when Kesler comes back, I might be on the third line and playing less minutes. That’s fine with me. I’m just going to try to do as much as I can with the ice time I have, be a good teammate and work as hard as I can to win a Stanley Cup. Everyone in here is trying for that same goal.”

So Roy is making the best of it, and so are the Canucks.

Vancouver is 3-0 since the trade and Roy was excellent in two of the three games.

He and new linemates Jannik Hansen and Chris Higgins are so well-suited to one another, they have looked like they’ve been playing together for years. The chemistry could be altered by the sprained knee Higgins suffered in Monday’s 2-0 win against the Phoenix Coyotes, which left Roy and Hansen practising Tuesday with Dale Weise.

Roy has been quickly conditioned to adapt and accept change.

New linemates? No problem. Second power-play unit? Yes, thanks. Sushi and yoga after Monday’s game? Sure, and pass the soy lattes.

“That was a first, for sure,” he smiled when asked about the post-game workout. “But it was a good way to relax. Mostly it was all stretching poses. Sushi is fine with me, especially in Vancouver. It’s fresh.”

Even playing most of his career across the NHL divide in the Eastern Conference, the former Buffalo Sabre knows a little about Vancouver. His brother, R.J., moved here a few years ago.

“He’s only one year older,” Derek said. “We were really tight (as kids). We’d spend all day playing road hockey or on an outdoor pond or outdoor rink, wherever we could find a place to play hockey.

“He’s doing a little bit of acting and doing some bartending on the side to get some money. He did a Blue Diamond almonds commercial. (Acting) is probably the toughest business to be in, especially to break through. There are so many actors who try to make it but don’t.”

So many hockey players, too.

The Roy boys — the youngest brother is Scott — grew up in Rockland, a bilingual community east of Ottawa. Derek left home to play hockey and in 2003 captained the Kitchener Rangers to the Memorial Cup. Roy, whose junior teammates included future NHLers Mike Richards, David Clarkson, Steve Eminger and Greg Campbell, was named the tournament’s most valuable player.

Roy was the Sabres’ second-round draft pick in 2001 and he spent most of his first pro season in the NHL. But after the 2004-05 lockout, Buffalo assigned him to its minor-league team in Rochester, N.Y. Roy amassed 20 points in eight games and hasn’t been back to the American Hockey League since then.

He was a key contributor to the Sabres’ run to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference final in 2006. Buffalo made the same stage of the Stanley Cup tournament the next year, so Roy had two conference finals by age 24.

He figured maybe every season could be that good. But in the last five years, he has played only seven playoff games, which is partly why Roy is so excited to be with the Canucks.

“Those are like the best moments of your life when you go on playoff runs like that,” he said. “The sun starts shining a little brighter and it’s starting to get a little warmer and fans get a little louder; everything is just so much better in a playoff atmosphere. I’m excited to get back to it.”

With nearly its entire 2013-14 payroll of $64.3 million already committed to just 15 players, the Canucks have almost no hope of re-signing Roy regardless of how well he and the team play.

Roy knows this. And he’s OK with that, too.

Vancouver is just part of his grand NHL adventure.

“You got traded; you can take it two ways,” Roy said. “Either ‘oh-my-god I got traded,’ and sulk and not work hard, or you can turn around and work as hard as you can and (make) this part of the adventure. It’s exciting to be in a new city with a new team and surroundings and have a chance to win a Stanley Cup.”

Comments

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.

Share

New Canuck Derek Roy embracing his whirlwind adventure

Video

Sports Highlights

Best of Postmedia

Swoop has yet to pick up a single customer, but Canada’s newest ultra-low-cost carrier is already talking about expanding into a market that is just taking off. Launched by WestJet Airlines Ltd., Calgary-based Swoop started booking customers this month for flights that begin this summer connecting five Canadian cities. It is offering discounted fares on […]

Director Ryan Coogler admits he was surprised by the initial feedback he got from the bigwigs at Marvel Studios when he began sharing his vision for its next franchise, Black Panther. After all, he was set to make a $200-million epic blockbuster; a popcorn movie that mixed dazzling special effects, heart-stopping action sequences and sprawling […]

At the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Mary Ormsby of the Toronto Star took one look at the fit, spandex-laden forms of the cross-country skiers and declared: “I have found my new sport.” Ormsby wasn’t a typical out-of-shape scribe. She had been an all-American volleyball player at Ohio State, so knew athletics from both sides. […]

Almost Done!

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.